Job Recommendation Letter

Every time you leave a job, it is important to get a job recommendation letter from your employer, to present to your next prospective employer. Through these letters (presuming you have left more than one job), the person reviewing your application gets a glimpse into your work history and efficiency. Also, at times, references you have provided from previous jobs may have moved on and it is a little difficult to keep track of previous employers.

As to who should write your employment recommendation letter, it should ideally be someone who knows your work well enough to truthfully write a good reference letter for you. It is also advisable to provide the person a letter sample, so it is written in a format you desire. Good reference letters include information on the person writing it (who he/she is), highlights the connection they have with the person being recommended, illustrates the recommended person's specific skills, and why he/she is qualified for the job. It is also advisable to include contact, in case follow-up is required. While writing a recommendation letter for employment, here is a format you can follow:

Format for a Letter of Recommendation

Address: Put in your return address right at the top, followed by the date (September 8, 2009), and then the recipient's address. Remember to include your phone number and email address.

Salutation: If the writer knows the person the letter is being written for, the salutation can say "Dear Dr. Phillips" or "Dear Ms. James", etc. However, if the letter is a general one, the salutation should say "To Whom it May Concern". Alternatively, the salutation could be left out entirely.

1st Paragraph: The ideal way to open the letter is with an explanation of how you know/are connected with the person you are recommending, and to what extent you have been witness to his/her work. You also need to explain what puts you in a position to write the reference letter.

2nd Paragraph: This paragraph is like a brief introduction of the recommended person. It must include what makes him/her qualified for the position, what they can contribute, and your reason for writing the recommendation letter. It is alright if this information runs into two paragraphs.

3rd Paragraph: This can be the most effective part of the letter, or the 'punch' paragraph. If you are recommending a person for a specific job opening, this section should include information on how the candidates skills match the requirements of the position being applied for. To form this paragraph, use a copy of the job posting, and a copy of the candidate's resume.

Conclusion: Your concluding paragraph can say that you "recommend without reservation", or "highly recommend" the candidate. Following this make an offer to provide more information.

Close: End your letter with 'Sincerely', followed by your name and title and signature.

The length of a job reference letter is ideally one page. The word count should be at least 300 to a maximum of 700 words. A long winded reference letter would be a mistake, taking into consideration that yours is not the only job application the prospective employer will have to review. The layout of the letter must be without any indents and two spaces between each paragraph, i.e. "block" style. With a little research, you can find plenty of ready, fill-in-the-blanks style letters online or in books. Only keep in mind that a good letter is insightful and personal.